News Release

October 04, 2012Juvenile-in-Justice Project Creator to Deliver Treusch Public Service Lecture

Richard Ross, an award-winning artist, journalist and scholar, has spent the past six years documenting the placement and treatment of American juveniles. Through his pictures and interviews, his work tells the story of a system that treats, confines, punishes, assists and, occasionally, harms them. On Wednesday, October 17 at 12:30 p.m., he will discuss his groundbreaking Juvenile-in-Justice project when he delivers the Paul E. and Phyllis Treusch Public Service Lecture at Southwestern.

To date, the Juvenile-in-Justice project includes photographs and interviews with more than 1,000 juveniles at over 200 facilities in 30 states in the U.S., from detention, correction, and treatment facilities to group homes, police departments and juvenile courtrooms. The work exists at the juncture of art, social practice, and politics with the goal of creating interest and action. To see photos from the project, visit www.juvenile-in-justice.com.

"By providing an eye-opening, inside view of youth who are in the detention or correctional facilities throughout the United States, Richard Ross has had a great impact on justice system reform," said Professor Laura Cohen, Director of the Street Law Clinic at Southwestern. "I encourage you to join us to learn more about the project and gain an understanding of the lives and treatment of juvenile offenders."

Professor Ross has taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara since 1977, and has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, as well as Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships. His work has been exhibited at numerous museums and galleries, from the Tate Modern in London to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Professor Ross was also the principal photographer for the Getty Conservation Institute and the Getty Museum on many of their architectural projects. He has photographed extensively for the Canadian Center for Architecture, Nike, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner and Vogue. A dozen books of his work have been published including Architecture of Authority (Aperture 2007), Waiting for the End of the World (Princeton Architectural Press 2005), Gathering Light (University of New Mexico 2001) and Museology (Aperture 1988). He earned an MFA from the University of Florida, Gainsville and a BA from the University of Vermont.

Established in 2000 with a gift from the late Professor Paul Treusch and his wife Phyllis, the Treusch Public Service Lecture series brings national leaders in the public interest field to campus to share their unique experiences and insights with the Southwestern community.

The event will be held in the law school's Bullocks Wilshire Building. Attendance is free, but an RSVP is required. For reservations, email advancement@swlaw.edu or call (213) 738-6814. Limited parking is available for $8 and a map and directions may be found online.